TALOS to bring Oklahoma! to the stage

Rehearsal for the upcoming TALOS production of Oklahoma! Photo / Supplied

Oklahoma!, the first show written by the famous duo of Rogers and Hammerstein, is coming to The Woolshed Theatre in Te Awamutu this May with Te Awamutu Light Operatic Society (TALOS).

This classic musical has always been a favourite of theatre-goers.

Directed by Donna Higham (who directed the sell-out Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat in 2021) with a very supportive cast and crew, Oklahoma! is sure to be another hit with fun, romance and wild west action, something for everyone to enjoy.

Donna is very pleased with how rehearsals are going and loves that Oklahoma! has the same talented orchestra as Joseph, again under the excellent musical direction of Corn Knapper.

Choreographer Julie Gray has got the cast having a great workout each week.

Rehearsal for the upcoming TALOS production of Oklahoma! Photo / Supplied

Oklahoma! is set at the beginning of the 20th century just before Oklahoma became a state in 1907.

It tells the story of farm girl Laurey Williams (Hayley Wards) and her courtship by two rival suitors, cowboy Curly McLain (Caleb Higham) and the sinister farmhand Jud Fry (Adam Rangitaawa).

A second romance concerns cowboy Will Parker (Ethan Omundsen) and his flirtatious fiancé Ado Annie (Stef Gibson-Muir).

Ado Annie also has another (albeit reluctant) suitor in the cheeky pedlar Ali Hakim (Amrit Singh).

The farmers and the cowboys have a fair bit of rivalry and are ably sorted out by Aunt Eller (Beverley Pullon).

There are a lot of hijinks until the grand finale with Oklahoma on the way to becoming a state of the union.

The production team has put in a lot of effort to make Oklahoma! just right, with set and costumes authentic and colourful for the time period in which the musical is set.

Take your friends and family along to a rollicking ride through the old west as TALOS brings you Oklahoma!

The production starts on May 19 and runs until June 3. Tickets are available from the Te Awamutu i-SITE Visitor Information Centre or at iticket.co.nz/events/2023/may/Oklahoma.